Team Suzuki Press Office – July 18.
Alex Rins: 9th – 1:37.636 (+ 0.931)
Joan Mir: 12th – 1:37.784 (+ 1.079)
A day which started with significant improvements in lap times and feeling for both Alex Rins and Joan Mir, came to a disappointing conclusion following a crash for Rins and a challenging final qualifying for Mir.
FP3 saw perfect track conditions and the emphasis was very much on gaining direct passage to Q2 for Joan Mir. He quickly found a strong rhythm and he completed the morning session in third place with a 1’36.908. He carried this good form into FP4 where he maintained this third-place ranking.
In the final qualifying session, Mir struggled to recapture the feeling he’d had throughout the weekend so far. Unable to find rear grip as the time ticked down, he was bumped down the order to 12th place.
Rins showed great form during the afternoon to earn his place in Q2 but a fast crash at the end of the session caused him to suffer an injury to his right shoulder. The Clinica Mobile doctors ascertained, via X-ray, that Alex had suffered a fracture and dislocation to his right shoulder, and they administered a mild sedative to help with the pain.
After being transferred to Jerez hospital, Rins underwent several more tests including an MRI scan, this revealed a “non-displaced fracture of the trochanter [ball joint at the top of the humerus] and a probable partial tear in the adjacent teres minor muscle. There is also significant muscular edema visible at the meeting of the muscle and the tendons, although the integrity of the rotator cuff tendons has not been affected.”
Before the crash, Rins managed to secure ninth place on the grid for tomorrow’s race, although his participation in the GP of Spain is still to be confirmed by the Medical Officers, who will take a decision tomorrow morning after further checks of his clinical condition.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“It’s a big pity that Alex had this crash at the very end of the session at Turn 11 after losing the front and carrying a lot of speed into the gravel. Unfortunately, he has a shoulder injury, which is a huge disappointment for him. Doctors will decide tomorrow morning if he will be fit or not for the race, so we will wait the night to see how the situation develops. Joan was unable to use his full potential during qualifying and he’ll start from the fourth row, but he has very good pace and we’ll see what’s possible. We know he’ll aim for a good result.”
Alex Rins:
“I was entering the last part of the lap and suddenly I lost the front at Turn 11. I tried to recover the bike, but I couldn’t, so I entered the gravel trap at high speed, and I decided to drop the bike to avoid arriving at the barriers. Unfortunately, I suffered an injury and I felt a lot of pain. I was transferred to the Clinica Mobile and then to the hospital where they confirmed there is a damage, but we still don’t know is this will allow me to race tomorrow. Now I just want to have a good rest and try to recover as much as possible, then tomorrow morning the doctors will make the final evaluation.”
Joan Mir:
“I’m really disappointed with how qualifying went because I’ve felt great all weekend, especially in the sessions today. Somehow I couldn’t get the feeling during Q2 and now we want to find out what happened and how to improve it. Tomorrow I’m focused on having a strong start and getting the best result I can. It will be tough with the heat, but I will push. I want to send a lot of strength to Alex, and I hope he can be back in the box as soon as possible.”
GP of Spain – Qualifying Classification:
1. Fabio QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Q2 – 1’36.705
2. Maverick VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Q2 – 1’36.844 +0.139
3. Marc MARQUEZ – Repsol Honda Team – Q2 – 1’36.862 +0.157
4. Francesco BAGNAIA – Pramac Racing – Q2 – 1’36.955 +0.250
5. Jack MILLER – Pramac Racing – Q2 1’37.453 +0.748
6. Cal CRUTCHLOW – LCR Honda CASTROL – Q2 1’37.454 +0.749
7. Pol ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – Q2 1’37.493 +0.788
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO – Ducati Team – Q2 1’37.535 +0.830
9. Alex RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – Q2 1’37.636 +0.931
10. Franco MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Q2 1’37.674 +0.969
11. Valentino ROSSI – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Q2 – 1’37.741 +1.036
12. Joan MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – Q2 – 1’37.784 +1.079
13. Brad BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – Q1 – 1’37.396
14. Danilo PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – Q1 – 1’37.423
15. Takaaki NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – Q1 – 1’37.434
16. Aleix ESPARGARO – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Q1 – 1’37.940
17. Miguel OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – Q1 – 1’37.964
18. Bradley SMITH – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Q1 – 1’37.966
19. Tito RABAT – Hublot Reale Avintia Racing – Q1 – 1’38.029
20 Johann ZARCO – Hublot Reale Avintia Racing – Q1 – 1’38.106
21. Alex MARQUEZ – Repsol Honda Team – Q1 – 1’38.256
22. Iker LECUONA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – Q1 – 1’38.512
